Collage illustration of Marcelo character chasing after horse and carriage.
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Ana Matsusaki, Illustration for Marcelo, Martello, Marshmallow by Ruth Rocha, translated by Tal Goldfajn (Tapioca Stories). © 2024 Ana Matsusaki.

Bilingual Storytime: Marcelo, Martello, Marshmallow

Artists & Authors
For Families
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Reading Library

Free with Museum admission

Marcelo is a curious and inventive boy who has a lot of questions, especially about words and their meanings. His parents provide him with an assortment of explanations, but as Marcelo ventures further to discover these answers, he decides to create his own vocabulary. 

This beloved story, originally published in Brazil in 1976 as Marcelo, Martelo, Marmelo, is the cornerstone work of acclaimed author Ruth Rocha. Join us as we celebrate the first English edition, illustrated by Ana Masusaki and translated by Tal Goldfajn. Participants will enjoy a bilingual English and Portuguese storytime, followed by a conversation with translator Tal Goldfajn.

Who You'll Meet
Tal Goldfajn standing in front of patterned wall, wearing a red scarf

Tal Goldfajn

Tal Goldfajn is a linguist, translator and translation scholar. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the Spanish and Portuguese Studies department. Together with her students at UMass Amherst she founded the Pipa Project initiative for the promotion of translated children’s literature and multilingual storytelling.

Faculty website
Photo of Fernanda Rivitti

Fernanda Rivitti

Fernanda Rivitti is a Brazilian literature teacher, storyteller and dance therapist. She is currently an Expressive Arts Therapy graduate student at Lesley University and member of The Pipa Project, an initiative for the promotion of translated children’s literature and multilingual storytelling.

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In the Bookshop

Cover for Marcelo, Martello, Marshmallow

Marcelo, Martello, Marshmallow